


Burning Atlas (In hiatus)

by CuriousHoney



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:53:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24799507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CuriousHoney/pseuds/CuriousHoney
Summary: After a violent assault on Remnant, the Atlesian government has taken over every nation in an attempt to keep the rest of civilization safe. Even though their efforts seem for the better of the world many anti-Atlesian gangs form in hopes of dismantling the corrupt system. However, Blake and Yang have their own personal vendetta against Atlas, discovering that the government might possibly be performing experiments on those they love and their community. They hope to discover the truth and save those they love, together.(I'm not sure when or if I'll pick this back up again but I would like to finish at some point! It's been a while so please excuse the fact that this hasn't been updated in forever! Thanks to those who read!)
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 5
Kudos: 7





	Burning Atlas (In hiatus)

_9:15 pm March 03_

_‘This spring is expected to have a higher rainfall compared to our previous years. Some meteorologists predict that rain could rise to 60 inches in 24 hours sometime this week. Thankfully, our Atlesian government is already finding ways to protect the city from another flood and a mass amount of damage. According to Doctor Pietro Polendina, last year’s damages ran near a billion in costs-...’_

The radio static has become a melody for Blake as she switches through the channels on her bike, Shadow. After a long bit of static, she finds another channel discussing the benefits of a specific skin creme. Some country music plays on the next channel and as she continues to scan she realizes that this is ultimately leading to nowhere in her pursuit. She taps the windscreen of her bike as she sits through another minute-long radio static.  
If it wasn’t for the fact that it was beautiful outside she might have been a little more frustrated in her efforts. Blake takes a deep breath, letting the quiet static sing to her. She removes her hands from the dial, looking up to the night sky to see some scattered stars. It’s usually harder to see them in the city, but tonight there was more than Blake could count for once. Blake is reminded of Menagerie so many years ago; she would sit and watch the stars with her father and mother. She can’t really remember the constellations her parents taught her but if she did she was sure they weren’t in the sky tonight, though the thought was nice. The wind picks up, blowing a considerable breeze that cools Blake’s sweaty brow and she takes another deep breath of clean air; her shoulders ease.  
She almost falls into a peaceful slumber until Shadow’s screen lights up. A purple holograph appears above her windscreen showing a phone symbol and an anonymous avatar. Above the image is the name “Yang Xiao Long” and Blake sighs in relief as she swipes her finger across the hologram’s face. The avatar slides to the left side and Blake watches as the audio of the call begins to spike. 

“Blake?”

“Hey, I’m here. Any word of where the truck might be?”

“No, haven’t found the right frequency yet. Starting to think Junior lied to us, again. Wait till I get my hands on him.” Blake shakes her head with a small smirk on her face. She can see her partner’s arms crossed over her chest, her lips in a tight pout. 

“You’ll have to beat me to him,” Blake threatens. Yang laughs at that, the audio spiking significantly as she does. Blake goes back to the radio station and starts tuning again. “He said it was happening at nine, correct?” Blake looks at the watch on her wrist to see 9:20 pm. 

“Yep. Again, I will kill him if necessary. Usually, the Containment Trucks are on time, if not, they wouldn’t be this late.” Yang’s voice grows quiet with her last statement. Blake can’t help but feel the same worry.

“Any news on the Happy Huntresses? Maybe they took it out already?” 

“No way. They couldn’t get that kind of information. Not unless they’re doing some dirty ‘behind the scenes’ investigation like us, which, if I can be frank? I doubt. They have an image on the line they can’t have defaced.”  
Blake hums in agreement as she continues to surf through the channels. The radio goes from it’s constant static to another form of communication. 

_‘We are on our way to the drop off point. The fifteen subjects are all counted for and contained. We should reach our destination in half an hour. Agent no. 56783, over and out.’_  
Blake’s heart races as the line goes dead. 

“Yang!”

“I heard! Let’s go kick some ass!” Blake doesn’t need to be told twice. She starts up Shadow and finds her helmet resting on the backseat. She places the helmet on her head and the visor lights up with coordinates showing where Blake needs to go. She watches as the small red dot on the map moves throughout the city at a steady pace. 

“Hey, Blake,” Yang’s voice calls from the line. It’s the same gentle and concerned tone that Blake had heard every time they had to be separated. “Be careful, okay?”

“I will. I promise to call when I stop the truck.” 

“You got this!”  
Blake hangs up the call and grabs the clutch, turning it quickly and starting the engine. The bike rumbles quietly as Blake steps on the pedal. Blake watches as her wheels, engine, and fairing light up with LED purple lights. Her helmet is the last thing that lights up as purple lines streak across its surface. With that, she’s off and turns on to the freeway as fast as lightning. Blake carefully watches as the map regenerates on her screen and shows a path leading to the Containment Truck up ahead. She picks up the speed making sure not to go too fast, the Military Police have been on high alert since another gang caused mayhem. Supposedly a bunch of crashed bikes and a huge fight occurred in the middle of a highway, took forever to shut it down, but either way, Blake didn’t want to be mistaken for one of those kids. She can’t be stopped now, she’s too close. The bike’s screen lights up once more, Yang’s name appearing again. 

“Shadow, pick up the phone.” 

The lights on Blake’s helmet flickers as Yang’s voice is projected into her helmet. 

“Blake, someone else was trying to stop the truck. It’s why they changed schedules. They decided to make the drop at 10 instead of 9:30.” Blake’s gut twists at the mention of another group trying to stop the Containment Trucks. She’s afraid of the idea that pops into her mind, so she pushes it down for a more favorable one. 

“Do you think it’s the Happy Huntresses?”

“No, whoever they are they have supposedly been giving the Military Police a hard time lately. Might be the kids from last week? Trying to be some heroes or something?” 

“Maybe. Stay on the line, I’m still on their trail but I need to speed up. Call you back.”

“Gotcha, keep you updated.” The helmet dims as Yang hangs up and Blake picks up the speed. She watches carefully as her speed increases deciding to do the risky move and maneuver her way through the crowded freeway. She passes lines of cars and gets in between some lanes to catch up. Now and then a car beeps at her or a swear passes by her ear but she’s getting closer. After a few minutes of messing with the speed and passing cars, she finally approaches the truck. She slows down her speed to seem less suspicious and waits for Yang’s call. It takes a minute, but her screen lights up once more and she instantly picks it up. 

“How many are on the truck?”

“Sounds like two officers. One named Nephir and I think the other is Gunther. They have no idea you’re coming. Now is your chance,” Yang says breathlessly. Blake can hear the engine of Bumblebee startup in the background. 

“Best way in?” 

“From what Junior said, the back is always locked unless you have the key. My advice? Probably the front, but it’s dangerous.” 

“I can do it.” 

“Oh, I know you can. Just try not to crash the vehicle? Also, go easy on those guys. I’m sure they have a pet to go back to or something.” The humor in Yang’s tone fills Blake’s heart with exhilaration. This is a serious situation but Blake can’t help but admit to herself how exciting this is. She hasn’t done stuff like this since the White Fang and knowing that Yang is going to be right around the corner? This is incredible. It’s exciting. It’s dangerous. Blake smiles a little, her heart pounding as she picks up speed.

“You got my back, Yang?”

“Always.”  
Yang hangs up and Blake speeds pass the Containment Truck in seconds. Thankfully, most cars have disappeared and only a few remained on the road. Blake twists Shadow violently to the side and stops the bike in the middle of the truck’s way. The truck doesn’t stop its speed, instead, the horn blares as it approaches Blake. She waits for the right moment with her hand rested at her hip. The horn continues to blare and she watches the wheels begin to shift to the right. Without hesitation, she whips out her gun and aims at the windshield. Blake fires and she watches as the bullet flies through the air. It crashes into the windshield, shattering the glass where it struck. Blake watches as the truck swerves, the sound of rubber tires scraping against the pavement as the truck bangs into a high railing to its left. To Blake’s surprise, it tips over, the truck crashes on the freeway and skids across the pavement for a few seconds before it stops dead in its tracks.  
Blake gets off her bike and runs towards the truck now resting on its side. She needed the keys to open the back, but since only one door was accessible, she climbs her way up the side of the tipped truck. Two hard yanks on the handle pop the door open and she finds two men dressed in Atlesian police uniforms inside.  
The one on the right side is still in his seat, protected by his seatbelt, but his arms and legs don’t move and his head rests against the broken window. Blake hopes he’s just unconscious. The other, however, landed against the other guy, not in his seat but more or less near the gears and dash. The man groans as Blake climbs inside the vehicle, carefully making sure one hand stays on the side door so she doesn’t fall in. She reaches and starts poking at the groaning officer’s pockets in pursuit of keys for the back padlock. 

Blake prays to the Gods that it’s this guy that she’s searching that has the keys and not the other one resting in his seat. To her dismay, she can’t find them and she decides to let go of the side door and moves around the groaning officer to get to the other one. 

“Motherfucker,” the man grumbles quietly and attempts to reach out for her as she does. She dodges, easily, and starts searching the other man carefully. “Wait till Ironwood gets a hold of you, Dirty brat.” Ignoring him, Blake continues her feverish search for the keys. She finds them by the unconscious man’s side, tied to one of the loops on his pants. Blake takes out the small pocket knife from her boot to cut the string attached. As she reaches for it, the once unconscious man opens his eyes and grabs her wrist attempting to fight her off of him. The pocket knife she holds falls out of her grasp and lands in between the seat and dash where it can’t be seen. Blake struggles against him even though he’s stuck in his seat and in an attempt to stop him she reaches for the buckle of his seat belt. His other hand presses against Blake’s helmet. She lets out a grunt as her head is pushed back at an awkward angle. She fights the ache in her neck continuing to reach for the button.

“Get em’,” the other officer calls from where he lays. Blake huffs to her helmet, “Open visor” and with that, her visor disappears. The officer she’s fighting is surprised and his hand slips inside her helmet due to the lack of a solid surface. Blake takes the opportunity to bite the man’s hand. He lets out a pained yowl and lets go of Blake’s wrist to get her off his other hand. She quickly goes for the button of his seatbelt and unbuckles it with ease. Blake lets go of his hand and then grabs the dash as the man falls out of his seat, his head hitting the concrete. She waits to see if he moves, which he doesn’t, and reaches for his key once more. She digs her hand in between the cushion and finds her knife, cutting the string with one swipe. Blake takes the keys and places them in her pocket, carefully backing her way out of the truck. The officer that is still awake grabs her arm, gripping tight as she moves leading them both to tumble onto the other unconscious officer.  
“No! Give those back,” he grunts. Blake reacts fast and kicks him in the face with her boot, knocking him out instantly. She tries to calm her breathing, watching the officer shut his eyes and his body goes limp. She wasted too much time, backup was sure to arrive soon. So she leaves the car and carefully drops down the side. Blake moves to the back of the truck with speed and unlocks the doors. She opens the right door which lays flat on the road and crawls inside. 

Inside she sees a mix of faunus and humans cowered in the back, some look injured but they seem alive and safe.  
Blake takes off her helmet and rests it at her hip. She makes visible eye contact with everyone, taking a deep breath to soften her voice. “You are all safe, I’m here to free-”  
Her faunus ears twitch at the sound of a hushed rattle and she’s caught off-guard once she realizes another guard was hiding in the corner. They run at her with a small baton and with one swing, it clashes into her temple. Blake crumbles to the ground, her head aching and body going limp. Blake twists her body to face her assailant as best she can, anxiety creeping through her veins. She can’t stop, not now. The officer pulls out their radio and says something that Blake can’t hear currently over the sound of her blood rushing to her ears. She carefully reaches for her gun in a desperate attempt and shoots at the guard. She watches as their body crashes into the wall, their green-colored aura fading, and they go limp onto the ground. Blake sighs in relief and calls to her helmet. 

“Call Yang.” 

_10:23 pm March 03_

Blake waits with the escapees at an abandoned dust factory. It was supposed to be Yang and Blake’s meet up point if something went wrong and, well, it didn’t go smoothly. Blake was supposedly carried to the factory by some of the escapees and patched up there. No concussion, surprisingly, but her head still aches significantly. She waits for Yang to show so they can figure out where to put the escapees as well as the information they need. She could do it herself but she rather waits since Yang is usually better at communicating with others.  
A deep voice calls for Blake and she turns to see a young faunus with thick-rimmed glasses and two horns atop his head.  
“Excuse me, miss?”

“Yes?”

“Uhm, first off, how are you feeling?”

“I’m alright just aching, it’s not the first time I had an injury as such and I’m sure it won’t be the last,” Blake meant it as a joke but the man seems to shift nervously. She should probably leave the liners to Yang. “I’m fine. What’s the matter?”

“I have a family that I want to get back to and I’m not sure what you plan to do with us?”

“We just have some questions and then we will let you go about your day. I’m just waiting for my partner, she’s usually better with the questions. I promise you can go back home soon. I recommend you lay low for a while though, make sure they aren’t on your trail again.”

“Oh, okay, thank you.” He backs away slightly and turns to the group behind them. They all seemed to watch curiously and Blake realizes they’re probably all extremely worried. She gets up from the piece of machinery she was sitting on and addresses the group. 

“You are all safe now. We have no intention of putting you anywhere or harming you. My partner and I are trying to stop these types of experiments. None of you deserve this type of life, we just have some questions and once we get some answers we will let you all go, safe and sound.” Blake’s speech seemed to ease a lot of them as she watches shoulders drop and some seem to breathe a little easier. She smiles at the sight and her smile only widens at the sound of Bumblebee approaching. Yang slowly moves into the room with her bright yellow bike, kicking the kickstand and taking her helmet off. Gold strands of hair fall down her back and she looks at Blake with anxious eyes, rushing over to her first. 

“Are you okay?”

“I have a headache but I’m okay. I’m not seeing stars and I’m not dizzy.” 

“You should be lucky you aren’t by the sound of what you said.” 

Blake smiles and looks back to the crowd who seemed to tense at their new visitor. “They’re nervous. Please use that usual charm of yours,” Blake whispers to Yang as she goes to sit back down on the machinery. Yang winks as she does and addresses the crowd.

“Hello! My name is Yang, and that woman over there is Blake. I’m sure you are all tired and scared from the past few hours, but you are safe. We just have some questions. Do you guys know where you were going?” 

The crowd is silent, they either stare at Yang or look at each other. It isn’t until a woman calls out ‘no’ that the crowd begins to discuss. 

“They were talking about some factory,” another man questions.

“Anything involving the Schnee family?” Yang approaches the group carefully, placing her hands inside the pockets of her bomber jacket.

“I don’t think so,” a woman murmurs, her long ears twitching. Yang looks back to Blake for reassurance. Blake nods her head in confirmation and watches as Yang takes a photo out of her pocket, handing it to one of them. The person looks at the picture then back up to Yang questioningly. 

“Do you know this faunus? Velvet Scarlatina?” The person shakes their head and goes to hand the photo back to Yang. “No, pass it around. I want everyone to look and let us know if you have seen her. If you have any other information on where you were headed or the people who were with you, let us know. If not, you can head back home. If you’re concerned about safety we can try to get you back together. Travel in groups and please, please, be safe.” The crowd passes the photo of Velvet around and by the time it reaches the last person no one had seen Velvet or heard of her, there was no other information to be discussed either. 

The crowd disperses one by one as each minute passes. Yang and Blake wait until everyone is gone and then relax their bodies. 

“So, tipped a truck over, huh? That’s your idea of discreet?”

“Well, at least we rescued some people,” Blake gives a half-smile that leads to a quiet groan, “I can’t believe no one has seen her. I’m starting to wonder if she’s real.”

“We know she’s real, she’s just really good at hiding. They might have been rumors but she’s out there.”

“I know, I just wish we could find her. Should we,” Blake pauses and combs her hand through her black bob, “go back to Junior?”

“Forget Junior, let’s go get some dinner. We can think about what to do next once we eat,” Yang rubs the back of her head for a moment before glancing at Blake. She extends her hand, which is made of metal and coated in yellow and black striped paint. “I can pay this time.”  
Blake smiles in response and accepts Yang’s hand. 

“Let’s go eat.”

_10:55 pm March 03_

Blake stretches, raising her arms above her head to pull at the tense muscles in her back. A relieved groan leaves her body as she sits up straight on the barstool. Yang sits beside her, resting her chin on her mechanical arm, watching Blake as she destresses. 

“Tough night for you?”

“Oh, you know, usual misdemeanors,” Blake jokes. She looks down at Yang and then mimics her position, resting her chin on her arm. The artificial neon sign titled “A Simple Wok” casts bright red light across Yang’s features. She’s a beautiful girl, always was, with long blonde hair (now a reddish tint in the light) that flowed down her back effortlessly, gentle purple eyes and tiny freckles scattered across her tan skin. As much as she had beautiful features she also had a strong build. A strong jawline and upper arm muscles that were being obscured by her coat currently. 

“What you lookin’ at?” 

“Oh,” Blake blinks and rubs at her eyes, “sorry, I didn’t mean to stare.”

“It’s fine,” Yang sits up straight in the barstool, “I don’t mind, not when those eyes are on me.” Yang gives her showstopping smirk and a wink. Blake can’t help but laugh. 

“You’re insufferable.”

“But I’m the best teammate you ever had?” Blake smiles at that. She sits up in her seat as the shopkeep leaves the backroom of the shack with their orders. 

“Of course.” 

An old graying man places two large bowls in front of Blake and Yang. In exchange for the bowl, Yang hands over her scroll, a light mobile device that transfers money over from her account straight into the shopkeeps. He smiles and returns her phone, bowing comically and going into the back of the small shack. 

“Enjoy,” Yang smiles and goes straight to tearing her chopsticks through the noodles. Blake got her usual Chinese Pan-Fried Fish which easily tears as the chopsticks cut through. The girls sit in silence, the bustling market behind them creating all the background noise they need.  
The market was always busier at night than it was in the morning. Between a mix of shady deals and tourists wanting to take photos of the brightly lit market, it’s no wonder it’s always crowded with people. Blake wasn’t a big fan of crowds but the market was always an exception. You could hide in these crowds and never be found, there was always stuff to do and sometimes a street talent would perform for some lien. There was never a dull moment and the food, though slimy and greasy, was always excellent. 

Yang yawns halfway through her bowl of noodles and scratches at her chin. 

“You getting sleepy?”

“Yeah,” Yang stifles another yawn, “same motel?” 

“Sounds good to me,” Blake comments as she takes the last bite of her meal, making sure to get the leftover soy sauce in that one bite. Blake pushes her bowl to the side, the shopkeep instantly grabbing the dirty dish and returning to the back. Blake watches as Yang tries to slam down the rest of her meal. “Easy, you’re going to choke.” The blonde responds in murmurs as she uses the chopsticks to shove the rest of the noodles into her mouth. Blake shakes her head, a wide smile on her face as she watches the ridiculous show beside her.  
She’s only distracted when someone sits next to her, the barstool creaking at their weight. Blake turns for a second to look over the new person. There sits a woman, with medium blue hair that's tied with white ribbon into a long butt length ponytail. Her fair skin is dusted with red from the neon sign but Blake can’t mistake the gold irises that look her way. She does her best to pretend like she wasn’t looking and turns back to the chaos to her right. Yang finishes her bowl and pushes it out for the shopkeep to take. 

“Okay, give me a second to process my meal.”

“Are you serious,” Blake laughs, “come on before all the rooms are taken.”

“Fine, but if I throw up on the way I’m blaming you.” 

“No one said you had to down the whole thing,” Blake gets up from her seat and waits for Yang. As the blonde steps around the seat, she straightens her body, extending her arms above her head and letting them rest behind her neck. 

“Okay, let’s go.” Yang starts walking down the market, Blake following her in quick steps. Though it’s close to midnight, the market still booms with activity. Blake never really bought anything at the market since it was always so pricey but she can’t help but stare at one stand. She’s fascinated as she sees a small wooden shack with a tiny old woman tending it. Brightly colored silk robes hang from a rack and beautifully crafted wool rugs rest against the wall of the stand. Blake stops in her tracks to look over the items, thinking about risking it all.  
“Hey, whose paying for the motel tonight? I want to be a lady and pay for you but, uh, I’m running low,” Yang comments which earns a playful glare from Blake. 

“I just want to look.” 

“I see you don’t like to waste time, huh,” Yang’s voice is filled with sarcasm that Blake had gotten used to within the few months of knowing her.

“It will take a few minutes.” 

“My noodles could have taken a few minutes.”

“I said you didn’t have to down the whole thing,” Blake scolds as she makes her way to the stand. The little old woman tending the stand is wearing a thick blue robe that has skulls and other gothic patterns stitched to it. She also wears thick goggles over her eyes. As Blake gets closer, she sees that they’re prescription goggles that are usually given to the blind.

“Hello, don’t believe I’ve seen you two around. Are you tourists?” 

“No, we live here. Just figured we’d look,” Blake comments as she touches one of the robes. It’s smooth to the touch and the details of the robe are exquisite. She wonders if the woman did it herself. 

“Are you a new stand? I don’t think I’ve seen you before,” Yang asks looking up to one of the hanging rugs.

“Nope, I’ve been here since the incident. Been selling robes and rugs ever since.” 

“Is that so?”

“Mhm, in fact, I was here when Mantle was still in power. Selling rugs and robes,” she says dripping with sarcasm. Yang gives her a funny look before glancing at Blake. She pointedly ignores Yang as she goes to search through the rack of robes. 

“So… you weren’t there before the incident?” 

“No of course not. The only people who were here were rich Atlesians. Are you dense?”

“Hey, I don’t know your life!”

“I see you’re not good at context clues, young one,” the woman laughs and gets up from her little stool.

“Uh-huh, hey what’s your name, sassy old woman selling robes on the street?”

“Maria, and yours, dense blonde child on the street? Anymore probing questions you like to ask?” 

“Yeah, did you make these,” Blake interrupts their conversation. Maria and Yang both look at her as if they forgot she was there but Maria speaks up. 

“No, maybe when I was younger I could have, but these frail hands can’t do detailed stitching like that.” 

“Oh, so you’re a liar and a con artist?”

“I never said I made them, you’re nosy for a simple kid,” Maria jabs her walking stick at Yang who easily dodges. 

“Who do you think you are?”

“Maria, I already told you. Goth faunus woman, you better take care of your girlfriend before I ban her from my stan indefinitely.” 

“Oh, wait,” Yang freaks waving her arms wildly, “we’re not dating.” Blake can’t help but blush either and decides to leave the robes alone. 

“Yeah, we just work together.”

“Yeah, partners and all of that,” Yang gives an awkward smile. Maria looks between the two of them unconvinced and shrugs. 

“Well, either way, if you’re not going to buy something then leave. I have more customers to entertain.” Yang looks around for these ‘customers’. 

“You have invisible customers? Must be your charm that draws them in,” Yang sneers. Blake grabs her by the arm and tugs. 

“Come on, let's go get our bikes and leave. Sorry for troubling you, ma’am.” Maria only responds with a ‘hmph’ as Blake and yang continue down the alley. 

“Dense… who does she think she is?”

“Let it go, Yang,” Blake pats her shoulder with a gloved hand and sighs. “I’m exhausted.” Yang looks at Blake with concern and rubs her back with gentle strokes. 

“Hey? Will you be okay until we get to the motel?”

“Yeah,” Blake yawns, “ I’m just tensed up is all.” 

“I get that,” Yang yawns right after Blake which ends in the two smiling at each other. “You deserve the rest after today.” Yang’s hand moves from Blake’s back and she watches as Yang accidentally bumps into a woman passing by. 

“Oh Gods, I’m sorry,” Yang looks at the woman embarrassed, “are you okay?” 

“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” Blake looks at the woman curiously. A sheep faunus with thick white curly hair and olive eyes. She waves at them both and continues walking down the market but she seems to move faster through the crowd. 

“Man, I’m just making friends left and right tonight,” Yang whines and continues her steady steps. 

“Yeah,” Blake watches the faunus disappear into the crowd. She looked familiar but Blake couldn’t place a name to her face. As they leave the market and enter the dark parking lot they find Bumblebee and Shadow sitting where they were an hour or so ago. The parking lot was a lot more crowded when they first parked but now only a few cars remain and a small bike sits beside theirs. Yang stops at the vehicle and whistles. 

“This bike is so cool.” Blake looks it over to see a dark green bike, that has tan spikes across its front. It’s one that catches the eye. “Blake, what do you think?” Yang asks as she heads over to Bumblebee. 

“I mean-... it’s different looking.”

“You can say that again,” Yang sits on Bumblebee’s seat and unclasps her helmet. “Do you think if I put spikes on Bumblebee, she’ll be more threatening?” 

“I don’t know, she’s scary as is,” Blake comments as she sits on the seat of her bike. 

“I think it would be an interesting choice,” a voice calls from the shadows, startling both girls. They watch as a lit cigarette illuminates a woman’s face. Blake doesn’t get the chance to see her features before the light of the cigarette is pulled away and a puff of smoke dances through the dark. She steps forward, most of her face is covered in shadows due to the full moon facing the back of her. “Bumblebee, huh? Cool name.”

“Uh, thanks?”

“Mine’s named ‘Mantle’.” 

“Like the old city,” Blake asks glancing over to Yang who has the same uneasy look on her face. Something’s off, but Blake can’t put her finger on it. It’s not usual that they collide with so many people in the market. Most people keep to themselves or just ask for directions. Blake can’t help but think of the sheep faunus that Yang collided with or the blue-haired woman who sat right next to Blake when there were many other chairs there. Now this woman, something didn’t sit right, and thankfully Yang could feel it too. 

“Yep, I know, silly but it reminds me of home. Before all this Atlesian shit happened.”

“Yeah, tough times we’re in,” Yang comments. Blake puts her helmet on her head and turns on Shadow hoping to move the conversation on. 

“Uh, we should go,” Yang comments, “cool bike though!”

“Yeah, maybe we’ll see each other again. Get to talk more about it.” The woman steps forward just a bit and the light on the front of Blake’s bike lights her up so they could better see her. A dak skinned woman with beige eyes and spiky green hair. She smiles a toothy grin and then leaves the area, entering the market and disappearing into the crowd. 

“Yang-”

“I know.” 

“Should we still go to the motel?” 

“Let’s try it,” Yang shrugs and puts on her helmet. They both start their bikes and drive off down the alley onto the freeway. Traffic seemed sparse tonight but now and then they both had to stop in traffic. Blake sits behind Yang and watches the woman bounce her foot on the ground as she waits for the red light to turn green. Blake also took note of her fingers tapping against the clutch of her bike in a nervous dance themselves. 

“Shadow,” Blake’s helmet screen lights up, “lookup: famous sheep faunus in Atlas.” A loading screen pops up, some images and names pop up in her search results. As soon as she goes to read the names, the light turns green and her screen turns off.

‘No using the internet while driving’ pops up on her bike’s windscreen  
Blake lets out a tired groan and she starts her bike up again, following Yang down the road. Though she should focus on the road her mind is all over the place. Maybe she was being paranoid, she never really trusts the people that she meets. In her experience, every person she gave her trust to either abused her kindness or harmed her in some way. Yang was an exception, they both had skin in the game so that they had to trust each other and Blake truly believes Yang is a good person. But everyone else? Fair game, and honestly, Blake’s gut had never been wrong before. Something was familiar about the sheep faunus, definitely, and the girl with the green bike seemed to be suspicious.  
Blake is pulled from her thoughts by the sound of a loud motorcycle passing by at a quick speed. It passes Blake, Yang, and multiple cars as it drives down the road. Blake catches Yang lifting a middle finger, speeding up a bit more. They cut off from the freeway onto a single road that led towards the motel. They were about ten minutes away, tops, but knowing Yang they’ll probably make it there in five.  
As Blake expected, the girl sped up and started speeding down the single road. Blake does the same to keep up with her partner. Up ahead, Yang revs her engine again leading Blake to follow suit. She can’t hear but she watches as Yang lifts her head to the sky probably in an attempt to howl at the moon. For a second, Yang turns her head around and stares at Blake for a while. She can’t imagine what Yang’s doing underneath the helmet. Winking? Smirking? Making a silly face? Who knows with her, but Blake responds with a head shake and points her finger forward to convince Yang to face the road. The blonde’s shoulder bounces and she turns to face the road in front of her when all of a sudden she brakes.  
In a panic, Blake stops her bike as well, causing her tires to screech against the asphalt. Her bike doesn’t slow down fast enough though as she slightly runs into Yang’s body, the bike falling over sideways slightly.  
Blake takes her helmet off. 

“What? What happened?” Yang doesn’t take off her helmet but points forward and Blake finally sees them, four shapes standing in the middle of the road. 

“Fuck,” Yang whispers, “Blake… get back on your bike.” She didn’t have to tell her twice. Blake sits her bike up and sits on the seat making sure she was ready to book it. One of the figures walks forward and shines a light at the two. 

“Look what we have here, girls. The two lovely ladies who ruined our mission tonight.” Blake shivers, she does know that voice. 

“Robyn,” Blake says a little too loud. Yang turns her head to Blake and back to Robyn and finally takes her helmet off to look. The woman turns off the flashlight leaving them in the darkness except for the light in front of Blake’s bike. 

“Listen, we mean no harm, if you come peacefully. We just want to ask you some questions.” 

“I’m getting deja vu,” Yang whispers to Blake. “What should we do? Ram them?”

“I feel like they would win that fight,” Blake looks behind them to see if they could drive back to the highway. It was possible but it would have to be fast and they’d have to find a way to lose their trail. Blake whispers to Yang, “let’s go back. Turn your bike quick and run for it.” 

“You sure that’s a good idea?”

“Not unless you want to go with them?” Yang pauses and Blake watches as Yang slowly grabs her clutch. 

“Okay, I trust you.” 

“Well? Ladies? What do you say,” Robyn calls from where she stands though they still can’t make her out in the darkness. 

“Uh, no thanks!” With that Yang starts her bike and quickly whips bumblebee around Blake’s bike and runs down the road. Yang’s helmet drops on the ground and before Blake can think, her helmet also drops on the ground. She turns her bike at a much slower rate but their dash didn’t seem to surprise the group as two of the people are already on their bikes. The standing shadow that Blake places as Robyn doesn’t move. Blake doesn’t waste time and instead speeds up to chase after Yang on the freeway.  
It doesn’t take them long since they just left but getting back on the freeway proved difficult as they were on the wrong side of the road. Cars honk at them left and right as they zoom down the highway. Blake looks back to see that all four people were following them on the highway, their bikes catching up quickly. 

“Shadow! Call Yang!” Yang picks up immediately. “Yang they’re right behind us!” 

“We have to get off the freeway,” Blake watches as Yang moves through the cars. Bumblebee was always much faster and smoother than Shadow; it never stops to amaze Blake how the bike moves. “Bumblebee, what’s nearby?” Yang’s line goes dead for a second as her bike responds. Blake watches as one of the bikers slams into her bike. She looks over to find the person on the bike to be small and thin, their bike a bright green with neon silver lights pouring out from underneath. They try to ram into Blake once more, but she speeds up her bike to dodge out of the way. 

“Blake! There is a meat factory five miles away, if we lose them we could hide there for a moment!” 

“Go for it! They’re here.” Yang pulls a hard left and Blake follows her path as they pass many cars who honk their horns and stop in the middle of the road. Blake looks back to see only two of the huntresses pass easily between the cars, the other two, including the one that rammed into Blake, are left on the other side.  
Yang speeds up once more and Blake grows nervous knowing this would attract attention to them more than they already had. 

“Is there any way we can stop them? Throw something at them?”

“Not unless we want to throw ourselves,” Yang’s voice grows marbled over the phone. Blake looks around them to find something to knock over. In her search, a bike passes by her.  
“Yang!” in a quick motion, Yang looks beside her and dodges the attack coming from a familiar bike, one of dark green with tan spikes. 

“Holy shit! It’s the girl from before!”

“I know! They must have been following us from the market,” Blake shouts in panic. She looks to her right to find a bike going at the same speed as her. This one was sleeker and shaped the same as Bumblebee but it was colored red with some white streaks across its side and on the woman’s helmet rested the shape of a bird, it’s wings outstretched. The woman’s head slowly turns to Blake and they stare at each other as the highway is about to break off. It’s Robyn. The woman looks away from Blake and speeds up once more, going after Yang’s bike as well.  
Blake couldn’t let this happen. The freeway officially separates into one narrow road leading to some cars having to pull over to avoid the speeding bikes. Yang in the front, the green-haired girl behind her, then Robyn, and Blake holding up the back. Blake hesitates but she pulls the gun from her side and aims carefully on her handle. She watches as Robyn speeds up a little more.  
Blake lifts the gun carefully, aiming for the back of Robyn’s head but as soon as she moved her hand started to shake. Blake didn’t know Robyn personally but she was an important political figure currently. For the most part, Blake agreed with her morals and principles, this just felt wrong. So she aims for Robyn’s tire and fires. It hits and Robyns’ bike screeches to a sudden halt and tipping over to the side. Blake maneuvers around her and focuses on the road ahead of her. She watches as the green-haired woman’s bike stops as well and she easily passes by. Looking back for a moment, she sees that the green-haired woman stopped to help Robyn who was laying on the ground. Blake speeds up to ride right by Yang’s side. 

“By the Gods, what did you do?” Yang calls to Blake. 

“I shot her tire. It is them! The huntresses. Do you think she’s okay?”

“Probably scuffled up but I’m sure she’s not dead. We need to find a different motel to stay at. There’s another highway up ahead, we can look out for a sign. I say we deserve a hotel after this one.” 

“Agreed.” Yang sighs and looks at Blake with a smile. Blake returns a smile and chuckles quietly to herself. “What a night-”

“Blake, look out,” Yang screams, Blake doesn’t have time to react as a bike rams into hers pushing her off. She tumbles onto the side road just a few miles from the next highway. Shadow scrapes across the ground beside her and she’s left on the road, her body scraped up and her face scratched from the asphalt. Once the adrenaline died, Blake’s body ached something awful. 

“Forgot your helmet,” Blake looks up to see the same smaller figure above her, gun drawn on the pained faunus. Blake looks to her other hand to find her helmet in her hands. She tosses it at Blake’s feet and she places one hand on her helmet, moving the screen up to reveal olive eyes and a red face.  
“Us faunus have to protect our ears right?” Before Blake can respond, she notices Yang’s figure run up behind the faunus, her gun also drawn. 

“Back off!” Yang’s voice rings in the quiet. The faunus turns to see Yang and slowly looks back to Blake. 

“Oops,” is all she says as she turns to face Blake and drops her gun on the ground. The faunus puts her hands behind her head in surrender. 

“Blake! Grab it! Quick,” Blake looks at the gun and then the faunus. Crawling over, Blake grabs the gun in one swift swipe. She attempts to get off the ground, dusting pebbles off her black catsuit as she does. It was ruined anyway, she doesn’t know why she bothered. She pulls the gun on the girl who just stares at her carefully.  
“Okay, you’re going to let us go.” The girl doesn’t turn to face Yang but her eyes dart off to the side at the sound of her voice. “Then we won’t have a problem anymore, okay? Don’t make this harder than it has to be.” 

“Blake,” the faunus asks. Blake’s eyes widen in confusion. “Like Belladonna?” That made her gut twist. “Oh... that’s bad.” Blake looks at Yang and behind her, she sees someone with a large staff aim at Yang’s head. 

“Yang!” The sheep faunus rams into her, tackling Blake to the ground. They scuffle over the gun in Blake’s hand, smacking away hands. Blake kicks the girl in the stomach, throwing her back a bit. Blake grips the gun carefully in her hands and stands up on her feet. She fires without hesitation- only to find out the chamber’s empty. Blake looks at the gun in confusion; she’s then hit in the back of the head with something hard. Her knees buckle as her head hits the hard ground. All she thinks as her eyes shut is ‘now I have a concussion’. 

_10:02 pm Last Year_

The nightclub was filled to the brim with people dancing wildly. The smell of alcohol and sweat burned Blake’s nose with its intensity. The music pounds loudly from every speaker and the lights create a sickening strobe effect that leaves Blake dizzy. 

“I hate clubs,” Blake says to herself as she sits at one of the couches with a cup of water in her hands. Blake watches as some girls dance at the large crystalline pillars surrounding the dance floor. The DJ’s booth is blasting a mix of hard rock and synth music as the lights flash from white to black. The beat builds up, a thundering sound vibrating off the walls and the lights pick up speed as the drop was soon about to hit. Blake has to close her eyes as the strobe lights make her sick. Behind her lids she sees flashes of white pierce through as the bass drops and the whole crowd screams. The bass grows louder and she’s left completely drained already. She downs the rest of her water and decides to hit the bathroom before her meeting, giving her a chance to get her mind together.  
The bathrooms were on the far left and as she enters the wide doors two girls leave chatting about something Blake didn’t pay attention to. She stops at the mirror and turns the faucet on, throwing cold water into her face and rubbing at her temples as she does so. Once she feels like she’s freshened herself up she blindly grabs at a scratchy paper towel and gently rubs it over her face. As she does so she gets a glimpse of how she looks in the mirror. 

Smooth dark brown skin that was currently scratched up to all hell. Her face for the most part was fine, her arms however were scratched up and scarred from a recent adventure she had to do on her own. Her golden eyes which were usually bright now appeared dull against the bright energy saving light in the bathroom and the bags under her eyes were more noticeable. In layman’s terms, Blake felt and looked like shit. Her bob cut, which was recently done by her own hands, also looked terrible, now that she’s looking. It was a burst of the moment action that she didn’t think about. It didn’t necessarily matter how she looked but it didn’t help in her confidence of facing off against Junior. The door to the bathroom opens again and Blake ignores the group of girls that come in, instead, she leans against the countertop, hanging her head low. 

‘Focus, Belladonna. You practiced this speech. You can do it.’ 

“Hey, can you uh-... move?” Blake looks to find a girl standing beside her, red-headed with heavy pink makeup dotting her cheeks and lips. 

“Yeah, sorry,” Blake says as she steps away. 

“Drunk, huh?”

“No-”

“That’s what the girls and I are doing, right?” From one of the stalls, Blake can hear a cheer. These girls were definitely drunk. “It’s too bad Junior won’t come out of office though.” 

“Huh?”

“The guy who owns the club,” the girl says as she washes her hands, “usually he runs the bar but the guy says he has an appointment.” The girl puts quotation marks around the word ‘appointment’. 

“He’s probably with a girl,” the other one says from the stall.

“I know but like he is the only bartender in this place that can do the drink I like. I wish he picked literally any other night besides my birthday to get flirty.” Blake grumbles to herself and throws her paper towel in the trash. 

“Happy Birthday,” she mumbles loud enough for the girl to hear and exits the bathroom. As soon as she leaves, loud music blasts in her ears once more. Blake covers her black cat ears in frustration and moves over to the bar as quickly as she can in a crowd. She gets to the bar in haste where she sees a man wearing a black suit and red sunglasses that cover his eyes. He messes around with some drinks and passes a tray off to a guy who grabs the platter and walks away. Blake removes her hands from her ears and places them on the counter.

“What do you want, kitty?” 

Blake is going to lose it, “Where is Junior? I need to talk to him.”

“He’s busy. With a client.” 

“It’s urgent, I need to speak to him.” 

“And like I said, he’s busy. Leave.” Blake reaches into her knee-length boot and drops a bag of lien on the counter. The bartender looks at for a moment than at Blake. 

“Let me see, Junior.” He seems to mull it over in his head then he takes the bag and puts it in his pocket. 

“Right this way,” he turns to another bartender, “Gary! Take my shift!” The bartender steps over the counter to get to the other side, fixing his suit with one firm pat. He ushers Blake to follow him, as they walk past thick crowds of dancers they finally make it to a staircase behind a pillar that leads to the second floor. The stairs are made of thin metal and creak with every step that Blake takes. As they reached the second floor, another guy walks out and looks at the bartender confused, wearing the same black suit and red glasses as him. 

“What are you doing up here?”

“She wants to see Junior.”

“Another escort or somethin’” 

“I don’t know but she’s paying a lot to see him,” the guy points down the hall, “he’s in the last room.” Blake pushes past the two and makes her way to the door. 

“An escort paying to be an escort,” she hears the one guy ask. She firmly knocks on Junior’s door three times. When no response is given she opens the door to find a surprising sight.  
Junior is sitting on the couch but he’s in obvious pain as a heavy boot is in his crotch and the tie around his neck is being pulled by a firm hand. An even stranger sight is that the person doing it is a young girl about Blake’s age with long blonde hair and really pretty purple eyes, Blake comes to find out as she turns around to face her. 

“By the Gods! Get her off of me!” Junior squirms under her weight but she doesn’t move. She continues to stare at Blake, anger pressed into her brows. 

“Uhm, I need to speak to Junior?”

“Get in line,” she remarks and faces Junior once more. “Tell me what I need to know and I’ll let you go!”

“I don’t know anything! You’re crazy! Guards,” he screams but the woman pulls at his tie even more causing him to choke. 

“Yes, you do! I was told that you know everything! Now spill,” she shouts. Blake is taken aback as the two men at the end of the hallway push Blake to the side and go to tackle her. She fights back, albeit with incredible strength, but they pull her arms behind her back as she kicks and screams with rage. “JUNIOR!”

“Get her out of here,” he coughs and the men drag her out. Blake moves to the side as they bring out the thrashing girl. She’s almost as tall as the two men and stronger than both of them combined so Blake is surprised to see she can’t get free. 

“Junior! Dammit! Tell me where she is! Tell me where she is,” she screams as she gets dragged down the hall. Blake steps into the room and watches as Junior clears his throat and goes for a drink on the table. 

“Fuck,” he mumbles and takes a big swig from the glass. 

“Junior? I have some questions for you?”

“Who doesn’t,” he groans, “make it quick, I'm in a pissed off mood.” 

“I was told you know what’s happening at Schnee’s testing facilities. I was wondering if you could tell me-” 

“In the name of-... I can’t do this,” he says and pushes past Blake. 

“But I was told-”

“Yes, yes, someone told you I know something and it turns out I don’t. She was in here crushing my balls asking me a similar question. I know nothing about the Schnee’s or any experiments. I suggest you leave before I have them throw you out too.” 

“But-”  
“Out!” He opens the door and extends a hand outside its frame. Blake hesitantly complies and steps outside the room. Junior gently grabs her shoulders with a questioning look, “You’re one of Taurus’, yeah?” 

“No, I’m working on my own.” 

“Sure, listen, tell him I know nothing. I don’t know what happened and I certainly am not to blame for it. Now, leave me the hell alone.” With that, he slams the door shut and Blake watches as the knob is locked from the inside. Blake can’t help but shut her eyes and hold back the tears that threaten to stream. She has had the shittiest week of her life. Blake takes one deep breath and makes her way down the hall as she thinks of her next action plan. If Junior was a bust then who else could she go to? Should she ask a previous White Fang member? Take to the local government? Blake is at a loss and exhausted.  
She makes her way down the rickety staircase to find the two guards fighting that young woman again. She tussles against them, throwing fists and attempting to get them off of her. She finally gets one off of her only to have her arms pulled back by the other. Blake watches as the one that was pushed off aims a fist and swings it against the girl’s cheek. 

“Hey,” Blake shouts, her voice gruffer than she expected, and runs at them, “don’t you dare hurt her.” 

“Stay out of it, kitty, it’s not your-” Blake attacks him against her better judgment and tackles him to the ground. As he lays on the ground she winds a fist and slams it against his nose. She knows this isn’t for the best but the anger seething within her was too much. She slams another against him in a blind fury. She winds up for another but the other guard that was once holding the raging blonde grabs her by her arm.

“What the-” Blake watches as arms wrap around his throat, putting him in a chokehold. She finds that the woman they were attacking before is behind him, tensing her muscles as he continues to fight against her strength. He attempts to pull off her arms but can’t as his eyes close and she drops his unconscious body to the floor. Blake takes deep breaths as she tries to calm down the fight in her. She looks up to the woman who seems to be doing the same. 

“Are you okay?” 

“No,” Blake states as she leans her head against the wall, “I mean, physically yes, but in all other facets of the word? No. What about you? Is your cheek okay?” The woman rubs her cheek carefully. 

“It’s going to bruise but-... yeah, it’s okay. Thanks, for that.” 

“I mostly did it out of anger.”

“That’s fine. I’m about to unleash my rage on Mr. Junior… want to come with? You look like you also got some questions that didn’t get answered.” Blake looks up to the woman and at the two bodies in front of her. 

“Why the hell not?” 

Both women make their way back upstairs and watch as Junior leaves his room, a drink in his hand. He stops dead in his tracks seeing them both side by side. 

“Shit,” he exclaims and runs back into the room. 

“Quick,” the woman shouts and runs to the door. Blake runs after her but they’re too late as the door is shut and locked. The woman bangs on the surface. “Junior! Open the door, coward!” There is no response. 

“Maybe we can find some keys,” Blake mentions as she looks down the hall once more. 

“I’ll do you one better,” She smiles gleefully as she backs up and rams into the door, it doesn’t open but Blake is stunned to see the wood has cracked significantly, even a bit off its hinges. 

“What,” Blake gapes. The woman backs up again and rams into the door this time breaking it clean off. The wood goes flying inside, nearly hitting Junior as he collects stuff within his hand. He looks up from the door to the two women standing in its frame. Blake is genuinely stunned by what she saw but it seems that Junior paled at the sight.

“Now, hold on a second, girls,” The woman marches in, leaving Junior to back up against the wall, “listen-... I know nothing! Honest!”

“Lies! You do! I know you do,” she shouts in his face. Blake walks in, watching as Junior seems to squirm a bit. “Here, how about you warm up and answer her question first.” The woman points at Blake and motions for her to approach. Blake straightens her back and approaches with stride, “What do you know about the experiments happening at Schnee’s Research Facilities?”  
Junior remains quiet and looks at the blonde woman. He sighs and faces Blake, “Not a lot. They have testing facilities all over Atlas, some small and some big. I don’t know what the experiments are but they usually go into faunus filled neighborhoods. They’re just easier to nab. Some humans make it into their shipments as well. That’s all I know.” 

Blake was both relieved and sickened. She knew something sinister was happening but nothing like that. She doesn’t know what the experiments entail but the fact that so many faunus have gone missing and no one has said anything? The fact that Junior was going to keep this from her? If it wasn’t for the woman next to her…  
Blake’s brow furrows and she glares daggers at Junior’s sweaty face. She reaches into her boot, taking out the decent-sized pocket knife and places it tightly against Junior’s throat.

“Oh Gods,” he whispers and tries to look away.

“Tell her what she wants to know,” Blake demands, nodding her over to the woman beside her. She looks at her and notices the strange look on her face. She can’t pinpoint exactly how the woman feels but she can see the surprise on her features. It doesn’t last long. The woman crosses her arms and faces Junior with authority. 

“Basically what I told this, fine… young lady,” Junior starts, “ I don’t know a lot. I just know they're taking faunuses and some humans.” 

“What is their goal,” she asks.

“I don’t know! All I know is that it’s for the city’s protection or something like that.” 

“Protection,” the woman scoffs.

“I know it sounds ridiculous but like I said I don’t know what they are, I just know they’re happening and who they are happening to. Honestly, the protected idea might be a stretch, it just seems like that’s what they want to do. They’re keeping it hush. The government doesn’t want the citizens to know they’re kidnapping people.”  
Blake removes the knife from his throat which he gently caresses with his calloused hand. “Please, leave and for the love of all that is light and dark, don’t come back.” 

“With pleasure,” the blonde smiles, “thanks again, Junior! Come on.” She smiles at Blake and leaves the room with more pep to her step. Blake follows but before she leaves she stops at the door. 

“Don't tell Adam,” Blake demands. Junior doesn’t say anything but she knows he won't and she leaves, following this unit of a stranger down the rickety steps once again.

After leaving that awful nightclub, Blake had taken the woman to a local pharmacy. She went in and bought some water and an ice pack. She finds the woman sitting at the side of the building, looking up to the stars. Blake stops beside her and hands over the bottled water. 

“Woah, you don’t have to do this,” though the woman gladly takes the water and downs about half of it in seconds. 

“You helped me get the information I needed. This is the least I could do.” Blake takes the cold water bottle from the woman and pours it over the ice pack. It won't be cold but it will at least cool down the bruise that was already forming on the girls’ beautiful tan skin. Blake places the slightly cold pack on the woman’s cheek who doesn’t even flinch at the contact. She just stares at Blake.  
“Is-... is that okay,” Blake asks.

“I mean, it’s definitely not working,” she gently takes the pack from Blake, “but uh, it’s appreciated. You’re really sweet.” 

“No, I mean-... thank you, but I’m not sweet,” the woman laughs and places the pack back on her cheek. 

“Okay, well still, thank you. I owe you, Miss…. What’s your name? I don’t think I got to catch it yet.” 

“Blake. Blake Belladonna.” 

“I’m Yang Xiao Long. Can I ask why you wanted to know about the Schnee Research Facility?” 

“Uhm, I’m a faunus activist and I discovered that a lot of faunus went missing and nothing was done about it. I heard rumors about it from other faunuses but I never really knew an answer until now that is,” Blake sits next to Yang and leans her head against the brick wall. “Now, I finally know where to start.” 

“Faunus activist, huh,” Blake looks at Yang curiously, “That’s brave of you to do that for people.” 

“It’s the right thing to do.”

“Right, but not many people can go that far. It’s why I think it’s really brave.” 

Blake looks at the ground, “What about you? It sounds like we’re looking for the same thing?” Yang looks at her feet. 

“My sister was taken.” Blake stares at Yang. “Her name’s Ruby, she’s, uh, she’s a few years younger than me. She’s very cute, geeky, annoying, and she’s special. It’s why she was taken away. We were told it was for the best but I know it wasn’t. So… I’m trying to find out what’s going on at the Schnee Research Facilities as well because I know whatever they’re doing? My sister is not safe.” 

“Yang, I’m sorry… that’s awful.” 

“Hey, it sounds like we both are going through it. As long as I get Ruby back I’ll be fine.” Yang takes the ice pack off her cheek and looks at it in her hands. 

“You said your sister was special? I hope you don’t mind me asking why? It might help me figure out what’s happening to my people.”

“She has a gift,” Yang doesn’t look at Blake, “like, a real one.” 

“Like,... Salem?” 

“Not the same but,” Yang finally faces Blake, “yes.”

“Oh, then I think the last thing we need is for someone like Jacques Schnee to have your sister.”

“Agreed,” Yang nods. 

“Well,” Blake gets up from where she sat, dusting off the dirt on the back of her suit, “I should probably get going. Good luck to you.” 

“Wait,” Yang calls out to Blake, “I have to be honest, Junior runs a tight ship usually and I feel like after tonight, that it’s going to be even harder to go back for information.” Blake raises a brow as Yang struggles to get up. “You put up one hell of a fight and you’re scary, but in a good way. You seem determined and I know you’re kind. You seem trustworthy. What if we worked together on this?”

“I don’t know,” Blake rubs her bare arms, “It’s kind of dangerous.”

“Did you not see me get my ass kicked back there? I noticed,” Yang laughs. It’s hearty and full of life that Blake didn’t expect to warm her body the way it did. “Listen, we’re going to the same place, hopefully, and I think it would be good to have someone like you by my side. Of course, it’s up to you but I figured I’d offer it.” 

Blake thinks about it. She really wouldn’t have gotten that information if it wasn’t for the fact that Yang spoke up. She’s good muscle to have around and she seems honest. Blake’s not one to trust people easily but this girl doesn’t have any bad vibes to her. She seems like she really cares for her sister, that she’s determined to find her. She’s strong both physically and emotionally it seems.

“How about this,” Blake starts, “if we find more information in the next few weeks? We can work together. You seem nice and honest but I don’t want to be slowed down.”

“Believe me, me neither,” Yang smiles, the bruise on her cheek turning a dark purple. 

“Okay then… it’s settled, some form of short partnership to find out what’s going on in this city.”

“Hell yeah.” Yang looks up to the night sky again and her eyes grow wide. “I haven’t seen this many stars before.” Blake blinks and looks up to see and Yang was right. You don’t see many stars in the city, and the sky was painted with thousands of them.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! She's back after like months, how are you guys? It took me a plague and a bunch of other bad things to write another fanfic again! I'll be honest this is just an experimental piece! I'm not sure how long this will be or when the next update will be so please be patient with me. I'm slowly starting to like it so hopefully, I'll be able to do consistent uploads. Thank you again for all those who supported me during that LONG break and all the kudos and comments you guys leave! Take care of yourself and be safe!  
> ~ ❤️🐝


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